The Odyssey
by Asher Cross
Summary: My big epic fic series begins! A couple find a dark secret one year after the war...
1. Default Chapter Title

Gundam Wing: Odyssey   
  
Prologue: The Awakening   
  
By Clint Worthington   
  
NOTE: This takes place 6 months after the series. Yes, it's AU. (Okay, let's *assume* NYC exists in the After Colony era.)  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The time: A.C. 196   
  
The place: New York City   
  
The Hall family was content with their lives:   
  
Dr. Kevin Hall, the patriarch, was a very jovial man, and was the head of research & development for a major military weapons manufacturer, Horizon Corporation. His specialty was creating new Mobile Suit systems.  
  
Susan Hall, his beautiful wife, worked on the International Identification Database (IID) Project. Their job was to create a database of every person in the world, and their current whereabouts.  
  
They had many things in common, but the thing that held them together the most was the love of their 11-year-old son, Aidan.  
  
But soon after Aidan reached that age, an event occurred that tore their family apart forever, and sent Aidan Hall on a most dangerous journey:  
  
*********   
Horizon Corporation Headquarters   
Research & Development Division   
New York City, New York   
1-16-196  
*********   
  
Kevin entered the room, full of energy. He wore his lab coat and greeted his fellow researchers.  
  
He was surprised (and irritated) to see the Horizon president, CEO Joseph Dravin, waiting for him inside the lab.  
  
"Kevin! My boy!" He put one hand on Kevin's shoulder and extended a hand.   
  
In actuality, he didn't like him very much. The ideal company man, Dravin was big on the practice of sweet-talking a man into getting what he wanted, then stabbing him in the back.  
  
Kevin forced a smile and took his hand, shaking it. "Mr. Dravin, sir, it's a honor to see you!"  
"How's 'the project' coming?"   
  
"Uh, great. But I've got to get back to work on it..." He gestured back toward the lab, where his coworkers were looking at the conversation with confused expressions.  
  
"Nonsense! You can take a break, can't you? Come, let's go to my office. We need to have a little chat."  
  
Kevin was led by Dravin across the building (a very long way) to Dravin's large, posh office, and gestured for Kevin to take the seat opposite from Dravin's vintage-wood desk. "Come, sit down."  
  
Dravin went over to the window and stared out at it while he talked. "Kevin, feel free to call me Joseph. I'll be frank with you. I need the new Mobile Suit system by next week."  
  
Kevin, although predicting that would happen, didn't expect it this soon. "Sir, we still have to work out the bugs, the inconsistencies. I mean, what if something happens to the pilot of the Mobile Suit?"  
  
"Call me Joseph, Kevin," Dravin stressed. "Nevertheless, I need it as soon as possible. And that has to be within this week. I can't have the competition jumping ahead of us. I hear Orion Inc. is coming out with a new Mobile Suit design. That'll put them on top with the World Nation's military. And you know what that'll make us, Kevin?"  
  
"What, s-Joseph?"   
  
"Obsolete. Aging. Invalid. Extinct." He stressed that last word with a slight hiss. "Everyone will come running to Orion to have their nations armed. We'll be ripped from the picture."  
  
"Sir, I wasn't aware that things would be that serious."   
  
"Oh, they are. And call me JOSEPH, Kevin."   
  
It was almost a forced courtesy.   
  
"Joseph. I'll try to get it done in a week."   
  
"Good. You had better. Get to work."   
  
It seemed as if the conversation had irritated Dravin. "Yes...Joseph."   
  
Kevin stormed out of the office, feeling grimy.   
  
When he returned to the lab, his coworkers felt concerned. "Kev? You okay?" they all muttered. Kevin simply said to them, "We gotta work faster. Get this done in 7 days. Go!" He went to his desk to begin debugging the pilot interface.  
  
*********   
Hall Residence   
New York City   
1-16-196   
*********   
  
Kevin opened the door, closed it behind him, and leaned on the wall, exhausted.  
  
Susan walked up to him, and began to take his trenchcoat off. "Bad day at work?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Now we gotta get the project done in a week, or there'll be hell to pay."  
  
Kevin smiled at his son, Aidan, who ran up to him and hugged him. "Dad, you're back!"  
  
"That's right, my boy!" he said as he walked to the kitchen. "Listen, why don't you go upstairs for awhile? Mom and I have to talk, okay?"  
  
"Well," Aidan said with hesitation, "Okay." He ran up the stairs to his room.  
  
After he was gone, Kevin turned to Susan and whispered, "There's a problem. My boss says the reason the deadline was changed was to beat Orion at getting a new design out."  
  
"So?" Susan said, suspicious.   
  
"I looked into it. Orion isn't coming out with anything like that. He's moving us up for another reason. Why, I don't know." He sighed. "So, how was your day?"  
  
"Well, nothing compared to what happened to you. But...I did find something interesting while looking up names for the IID."  
  
"What's that?"   
  
"I found the Gundam pilots."   
  
"That's nice-what?" Kevin said. "The Gundam pilots have been missing ever since the war ended. You found them?"  
  
"All five of them. I did a little detective work myself. It was complicated-it took me all day to find them-but I did it. I haven't copied their whereabouts down to disk yet, but I will tomorrow when I go back to work."  
  
"I'll look into Dravin's ulterior motive for the deadline change tomorrow as well."  
  
"What if it's something bad?"   
  
"Then we'll hope it's not. But if something were ever to happen to us, you know about the tunnel in the basement, right?"  
  
"Yes, dear."   
  
The two looked at each other. They knew their whole world was about to change.  
  
*********   
International Identification Database (IID) Office   
New York City   
1-17-196   
*********   
  
The gigantic control room was lined with computers and gigantic viewscreens. Many people worked at these computers, taking people's names, location, and information-age, sex, date of birth, criminal record-and storing it all into the database.  
  
Susan Hall worked silently at her computer, secretly loading the files of the 5 Gundam pilots onto a minidisk. Quite a few times she had to quit and restart because some curious coworker began peering over at her screen. She let an exasperated sigh and started again.  
  
*********   
Horizon Corporation   
Research & Development Division  
New York City   
1-17-196   
*********   
  
At the same time, Kevin Hall worked at his computer, looking for a clue that would help him figure out the deadline change for the new Mobile Suit design. Why? What could be so important that the deadline would be moved to so soon?  
  
He decided to match up the date with which, if they got the project done in the week allotted, the new Mobile Suits would be manufactured, with every news feed, to find anything major that would happen at that time. It would be most likely that they changed the deadline to act upon a major situation that arose.  
  
One month from now. One month after that week, the Mobile Suit would be completed. And on February 23, 196, what happens?  
  
He flipped through article after article in the news feeds. Nothing major, except...He flipped to an article about Vice-Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft's crusade against war. She was going to get an order passed to demilitarize the World Nation!  
  
That's it! Kevin thought to himself. He's going to use the Scorpio Suit to assassinate Ms. Peacecraft, and keep the world militarized!  
  
*********  
  
"But why?"   
  
"Because without war, we're out of business." Mr. Dravin said to him.   
  
Kevin had confronted him with this evidence in Dravin's office. Dravin shrugged it off.  
  
"But assassinating the Vice-Foreign Minister? That's wrong!"   
  
"That's the problem with you, Hall. You're too black-and-white. Haven't you heard the saying 'To make an omelet, you have to break some eggs'?"  
  
"Well, sir, this is one egg that won't break without some serious repercussions."  
  
"Don't worry, Hall. I've got it taken care of."   
  
"I thought we agreed on using each other's first names."   
  
"I was being nice. Sit down." He forces a smile as Kevin sat down. "So, how much of a raise do you want? 50,000? 100,000?"  
  
"You can't bribe me, sir."   
  
"Then you're fired. Huh? How'd you like that?"   
  
"I would enjoy it, sir."   
  
"Then get out of my sight."   
  
Seething, Kevin stormed out of Dravin's office once again.   
  
Once he was out, Dravin spoke to a figure in the shadows of his dimly-lit office. "Hall is too much of a danger. I want him eliminated as soon as this project is over. Remember, don't screw it up, Arnavisca. You're my security chief. I expect much of you."  
  
The silent figure left the room.   
  
  
  
Kevin said goodbye to his coworkers. "I've been let go, guys. I'm sorry. You'll just have to...finish the project without me." This feels awful, he thought to himself. I'm afraid if I say any more, they'll threaten you too.  
  
Solemnly, he walked out of the room forever.   
  
*********   
Hall Residence   
New York City   
1-20-196  
*********   
  
Kevin and Susan put everything in the duffel bag, everything that they need...that Aidan will need, that is.  
  
Kevin reached out and took her hand. He looked into her eyes. "Susan...this is just an emergency bag. Just in case we don't make it, Aidan's got to take on the job."  
  
"I feel we have to tell him..."   
  
"No. Not yet. It might not have to come to this."   
  
Filled with sorrow, they held each other in the night.   
  
*********   
Hall Residence   
New York City   
1-24-196   
*********   
  
BANG! The flashbang burst, blinding everyone inside the room. The door burst in, several soldiers running inside.  
  
Terrified, Susan led her petrified boy downstairs to the murky, dark basement, and they hid there. Upstairs, they heard the scream of a now dead Kevin.  
  
Susan, scared to move, looked over at her terrified son. "Aidan, my dear, sweet son...you have to go."  
  
"Wait, Mom...no..."   
  
She drew him close and embraced him. "Yes, you have to. Listen, Aidan, you have to find the Gundam pilots. They can stop these people from killing again."  
  
Aidan knew what this meant. "I don't wanna leave you, Mom..."   
  
"But you have to, sweet Aidan. We probably won't see each other again, but I want you to know that whatever happens, I love you more than life itself."  
  
Susan led her boy over to the opposite wall. She used a nearby crowbar to open a loose brick in the wall of the basement. She reached her hand inside and pushed a button that was hidden there. A huge chunk of the wall opened, like a door. It made a large CREAK as it widened, alerting the intruders to their location.  
  
The leader gestured for the rest to follow him. They traveled toward the basement...  
  
...Meanwhile, Susan was giving Aidan instructions. "Aidan, sweetheart, your father made this so that we could get away if they ever found us. It leads into the sewer system."  
  
"Who are 'they'?"   
  
"You'll find out." Out of the now-revealed tunnel, she produced a duffel bag from a compartment near the entrance. "Put this on." After he donned the bag, Susan turned him around to face her. "We don't have much time."  
  
The soldiers reached the basement, and began descending down the stairs.   
  
"There's a disk in there that tells you what to do. It tells you where the Gundam pilots are. Find them, Aidan. Go!"  
  
With that, she pushed her son into the abyss, and closed the door.   
  
That was her last moment, as a trio of bullets from the leader's gun silenced her forever.  
  
The soldiers stayed for an hour to search for the boy, but gave up and torched the house. There they ended their search for the Halls.  
  
ONE MILE AWAY...   
  
It was a rainy day in the city of New York. In an alley, a sewer grate popped up from its manhole. The cover slid to the side, and two small hands carried its tired body up to the street.  
  
There Aidan Hall laid there for what seemed like forever, frightened, sad...   
  
...and alone. Oh, so alone.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED...   
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Gundam Wing: Odyssey   
  
Chapter 1: The Mission   
  
By Clint Worthington   
  
***********************************************************************   
outside New York City   
1-25-196   
*********   
  
Aidan had been running since he retrieved his energy in the alley. His fear and sadness kept him from stopping even once, not even to check the contents of the duffel bag that was his parents' last gift. He finally stopped running at the door of a seedy, dimly-lighted tavern.  
  
Hesitantly, he entered the tavern, and slipped through the crowd of drunks and prostitutes towards a back booth.  
  
There he sat down, and tried his best to be unseen. He slumped down into the chair, exhausted and afraid.  
  
His whole world had changed in a split-second: a couple of days ago, he was a normal kid, playing sports with his friends, going to school-now he's a criminal for God-knows-why, catching his breath in a run-down bar.  
  
Slowly, he unzipped the duffel bag and looked at its contents:   
  
He pulled out several perishable food product containers, a flashlight, and several thousand dollars in travelers cheques. He gave himself a small smile under the dried tears. *My parents are taking care of me even after death...*  
  
He stared in incredulity as, from the duffel bag, he pulled out a pistol and clip. He sighed as he thought, *Well, at least I have some protection until I find the Gundam pilots.*  
  
Finally, he pulled out a laptop and a minidisk in its case, labeled, "For Aidan".  
  
He looked around to see if anyone was coming back here. Cautiously, he inserted the minidisk into the disk drive and started the laptop. The autorun activated a media player and suddenly, the image of Susan Hall appeared on the screen.  
  
"Hello, Aidan. If you're watching this, both your father and I are dead and you're the last hope we have. Before you go on to the next video file, you must find one of the Gundam pilots. I have the locations of each pilot on this disk, in video files.  
  
"Yes son, this was what was keeping us busy the last few days: making these video files for you to use. We were hoping it wouldn't come to this, but it seems it has."  
  
Aidan watched as the image of his mother switched to a digital map of Long Island. "Of all the Gundam pilots, I found that the one closest to you would be Duo Maxwell. You'll find him at a port on the beach near Long Island Sound under the name of Pete Taggart. Once you've found him, show him the file entitled 'briefing.avi'.  
  
"That's all I can show you right now. But while with Duo, watch the file as well, so you can get an idea of what's going on. Goodbye, son."  
  
The file stopped, and Aidan's shoulders suddenly felt heavier. *Only hope? What did that mean? Only hope for what?*  
  
He started as he heard the CRASH! of someone being slammed against a wall. He heard a rough biker yell, "You owe me money for that run, woman!"  
  
"I paid you already, pig," replied a strong, female voice.   
  
"Nice try, but it ain't gonna work. Gimme the bat." The biker held out an arm, which was quickly filled with a steel baseball bat by one of his buddies.  
  
Aidan watched in horror, then decided to do something. *But what do I do?* His thoughts trailed back to the pistol. He picked it up and held it in his hands. Heavy, but not too much. He walked out and raised the pistol at the biker. Everyone stopped. Aidan yelled, "Drop the bat and let her go!"  
  
The biker tried to stay cool, but was rapidly failing. "Whoa, short stuff, let's chill here..."  
  
"You'll be 'chilling' six feet under if you DON'T BACK OFF!" Aidan replied. He was surprised at himself for coming up with that line so quickly.  
  
The biker quickly shuffled out of the bar, his buddies trailing not too far away.  
  
Exhaling deeply, Aidan lowered the pistol.   
  
The woman he had saved slowly walked up to him. "Thanks, kid. I owe you."   
  
Aidan nodded to his gun. "It's okay. Not loaded."   
  
The woman chuckled. "You've got guts, kid." She held out her hand. "Jen Hillard."  
  
Aidan took the hand and shook it. "Aidan Hall."   
  
"I gotta pay you back for saving my life, don't I? Is there anything I can do?"  
  
Aidan hesitated before saying, "Well, I could use a lift somewhere."   
  
"Sure, kid. Where you going?"   
  
Aidan sighed. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to go through with whatever "quest" his parents had sent him on. But, he trusted them, and decided to go for it.  
  
"I'm headed for Long Island Sound."   
  
*********   
Semi Truck   
en route to Long Island Sound   
1-26-00  
*********   
  
Aidan was mildly surprised when he saw that Jen drove an 18-wheeler. A few hours had passed since they had left the bar, and he was now riding along with Jen down a bumpy road. He had a phone book bouncing up and down on his lap, making it difficult to read it. "Ms. Hillard, ma'am, you think we could get a road a little less...bumpy?"  
  
"Number one: call me Jen, kid. Number two: No, I can't. This is the shortest route to Long Island Sound. By the way, who're ya lookin' up, kid?"  
  
Aidan hesitated, but he decided that he could give away a little. "Someone named Pete Taggart."  
  
"What, do you know him?"   
  
Aidan looked at Jen nervously. "No."   
  
"Then how do you know this guy?"   
  
"I can't tell you right now." He was finally able to get the phone book stable enough to track down Taggart's name. "Got him! Taggart Boating Services. Hold on, I'll get a map." He flipped open the glove compartment, and sifted through the various crumpled maps until he found a detailed map of Long Island. "Here we go."  
  
*********   
Taggart Boating Services   
near Long Island Sound   
1-26-00  
*********   
  
The semi groaned to a stop a short distance away from the beach--and the docked Sweeper ship that belonged to Peter Taggart.  
  
Aidan hefted his duffel bag and got out of the semi. He looked back to see Jen following him. "Listen, Jen, thank you for your help. But I've got to be going now. Good-bye."  
  
"Whatever, kid." Jen said, feigning indifference. However, Jen was curious about Aidan's relationship with this Taggart. *Another thing, why isn't this kid with his parents?* Everything about him seemed suspicious.  
  
Aidan didn't look back as he walked away from Jen and the semi, toward the Sweeper ship. *I wonder how I'm going to get on...* It was then that he noticed the stacks of crates that were being loaded onto the ship by an automated conveyor belt. An idea flashed into his mind, and he ran up to a crate about to move up into the ship, managed to pry open the top, and unload enough...(groan) fish...to get in. He rode inside the crate until he was in the ship.  
  
*********   
Horizon Corporation Headquarters   
New York City   
1-26-00   
*********   
  
CEO Joseph Dravin was sitting at his chair when his security chief, Santiago Arnavisca, strode in. An ex-military man, Arnavisca had fought for OZ during the revolution. During a skirmish with former Alliance forces, he had lost his left eye. But, with former R & D chief Kevin Hall's help, he was able to have an enhanced mechanical eye, attached to the skin by several barbs.  
  
"So?"   
  
The dark-green dot in the center of Arnavisca's robotic eye flickered as he said, "We've torched the Hall residence. Hall and his wife are confirmed dead."  
  
"And the boy?"   
  
"We found no dental records of his in the remains of the house, sir. There is a possibility that he could be alive."  
  
Enraged, Dravin pounded his fist on the desk and yelled, "Well, find him and kill him! We can't afford to take any chances, not when we're this far."  
  
"Yes sir." Arnavisca exited the room, leaving a frustrated Dravin to his work.  
  
*********   
Sweeper Ship   
Long Island Sound   
1-26-00   
*********   
  
Aidan waited until he felt the ship move, then pushed open the top and peered out.  
  
He was in the cargo bay, surrounded by dozens of other crates. He climbed out and dropped to the floor, watching for other people. He kept to the shadows as best he could, and after a few moments reached the door. He tapped the control panel next to it and the door slid open with a soft 'swoosh'.  
  
He looked down the corridor, then began walking down, keeping his footsteps silent.  
  
He rounded a corner--   
  
--And bumped right into a passing Sweeper! *So much for the 'sneaking in' plan*, he thought, as the angry Sweeper pick him up by the collar and growled, "What're you doing here, kid?"  
  
Aidan stammered, "Uh--um--Take Your Son to Work Day?" He nervously smiled.   
  
"Yer headed straight for the brig, midget," the Sweeper said.   
  
"Stop." A distant voice commanded.   
  
The Sweeper froze, his eyes growing wide. A figure appeared from a nearby corridor. Aidan looked over the Sweeper's shoulder and saw a teenage boy, probably 15, walk up. Strangely enough, He wore a unique priest uniform/jumpsuit, and his long brown hair was pulled back in a yard-long braided ponytail. "Let him go, Ellis."  
  
Ellis suddenly looked ashamed. "Sorry, boss. Just, this kid snuck on the ship--" He took a big whiff of Aidan, then added, "Probably in one of the fish crates. I was gettin' ready to take him to the brig..."  
  
"No, Ellis. I'll take him. Go back to your duties," the teenager said. Hesitantly, Ellis walked away.  
  
The braided man gestured for Aidan to follow him, and they walked down the corridors of the ship. The man turned to Aidan and asked, "Lemme guess. Ran away from home, huh? Wanna be a pirate, kid?" The braided man said, with a touch of sarcasm.  
  
Aidan looked at him angrily for being mocked. The braided boy sighed and smiled at him. "I'm kidding, kid! Lighten up! Listen, what made you sneak aboard this ship anyway?"  
  
Aidan finally got up the energy to talk, and replied, "Well, I've got to find your captain, Mr. Taggart."  
  
"Well, kid, you're lookin' at him." Taggart smiled at the boy's surprised expression. "Guess we don't have to go far, do we? So, whaddya want, kid? What's your name?"  
  
"Uh, Aidan. Aidan Hall, sir."   
  
As they entered Taggart's quarters, Taggart said to Aidan, "You can just call me Pete, Aidan."  
  
As the door closed, Aidan decided to make his move. "How about I call you Duo, Mr. Maxwell?"  
  
Taggart froze. Aidan thought to himself, *Gotcha*.   
  
Aidan added, "That IS your name, right?"   
  
Taggart, with his back to Aidan, slowly walked over to his desk. "I think you've get me confused, Aidan. You're thinkin' of that kid that helped win the war. I just captain a boat."  
  
"I don't think I'm confused, Mr. Maxwell. But we need your--"   
  
Aidan stopped as Duo spun around with a pistol in hand.   
  
"--help."   
  
"Stop right there! Who do you work for? OZ?"   
  
"I don't work for OZ--"   
  
"Who is it then? White Fang? World Nation?"   
  
"I WORK FOR MY MURDERED PARENTS, ALL RIGHT?!"   
  
That shouted statement from Aidan stopped Duo cold. His eyes began to flicker with an unhappy memory surfacing in his mind. Duo slowly lowered his pistol. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know--"  
  
Aidan tried to force the image of his mother's murder out of his head, and it took several seconds to do it. He was able to force out, "I need to show you something."  
  
Aidan fumbled around in his duffel bag before pulling out the laptop, the minidisk still in it. He said to Duo, "My parents made these videos in case something happened to them before they could do something, to have me carry it out instead. I still don't know what's going on."  
  
Aidan activated the laptop, opened the disk drive folder, and double-clicked on 'briefing.avi'.  
  
After a few seconds, Susan Hall appeared on the screen. "Hello, Mr. Maxwell, sir. I realize this is a bit sudden, but we desperately need your help.  
  
"First off, if you're wondering how I got your location, I work for the IID, whose job is to find people's whereabouts. After a little detective work, I was able to locate you and the other pilots and save their locations to this disk. If my son Aidan isn't there, he needs to see this. I'll have my husband Kevin take it over, to tell you what is going on and what you can do."  
  
The camera turned to show Kevin's smiling face. "Okay, um, I work-well, WORKED-for Horizon Corporation, a weapons manufacturing company. I was the head of R & D. My team and I were working on a special project, the Scorpio Mobile Suit."  
  
The image changed to a blueprint and a spinning wireframe model of the new Mobile Suit. Kevin's voice still went on. "It was designed for heavy land battles, virtually unstoppable. We threw out many components we deemed unnecessary, such as jet propulsion, guide wire for the cockpit, etc., to make room for the shield generator.  
  
"What's special about this generator is the power source for the shield is anti-matter, which makes the shield impenetrable by any weapon. It's basically a walking god."  
  
  
Kevin continued, the image changing to his face again. "A few days ago, I learned that the project deadline had been moved up to the end of the week. The chairman's excuse was a new product coming out from our competitor. However, I investigated, and Orion wasn't coming out with any new projects.  
  
"I dug a little deeper, and this is what I found: If the Scorpio's design was done by next week, the actual Mobile Suit would be produced by the end of the month. The only reason to change it to the end of the month would be so that they could use the Scorpio for something at that time, right? Well, the day after production is slated to be complete, Vice-Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft is issuing an order to demilitarize the World Nation. They're going to have a heavy guard, an entire battalion of Mobile Suits.  
  
"I put 2 and 2 together. They're planning to get the Scorpio out in time to assassinate Peacecraft! I went to the CEO about this, and he fired me for knowing too much.  
  
"I don't know how much work my team will get done without me until the deadline comes, but one thing's for sure: They'll never fix the only weakness the Scorpio has in time to get it in: water.  
  
"Y'see, both Gundanium and titanium have problems with the shield, some sort of molecular repulsion. Every one we tried ended up melting the alloy. So we could only make the Mobile Suit with regular steel. Even so, water is the only thing that can get through the shield. If you get a Scorpio completely submerged, the water will pass harmlessly through the shield, and reach the sensitive electronic equipment inside the Suit, short it out, and you have one helpless Mobile Suit. I'll take it back to Susan."  
  
The camera spun back to Susan. "So, we think you could find the other pilots with my coordinates, get the Gundams together, and find the Scorpios and stop them before they kill Minister Peacecraft. Good luck."  
  
The video ended. Duo and Aidan looked at each other. "Well, it looks like I've got a job to do."  
  
Aidan said to him, "Wait a minute, YOU? Don't you mean, 'we'? I'm going with you."  
  
"No way, Aidan." Duo looked at him sympathetically and put his hands on Aidan's shoulders. "Listen, I know you're a brave kid, but it's too dangerous."  
  
Aidan sighed. "I guess you're right."   
  
Duo stood and said, "Listen, why don't you hit the sack? It looks like you've had a long trip. Take a shower, change clothes, go to sleep. Feel free to make this your home until I get back."  
  
As Duo exited the room, Aidan found his way to the bathroom, where he showered and changed into olive cargo pants, a white T-shirt, and an unbuttoned camo dress shirt. Well, it was comfortable, anyway.  
  
Aidan laid down on the bed, relaxing for the first time in a long while. His thoughts strayed to the memories of his late parents, and he cried himself to sleep.  
  
*********   
Long Island Sound   
1-27-00   
*********   
  
It was midnight. The moon cast an ominous glow over the flat ocean.   
  
One mile from the Sweeper ship, a small, jet-black assault boat sped along Long Island Sound.  
  
Inside, Arnavisca and 6 other soldiers readied their automatics and put on their armor. Arnavisca's artificial eye was switched to night-vision mode, allowing for nocturnal eyesight.  
  
He said to his followers, "Kill anything that moves. These people are probably in league with the boy as well."  
  
Slowly, the boat came up beside the Sweeper ship, and matched speed with it as it departed from Long Island Sound into the Atlantic Ocean.  
  
Using grappling guns, the Arnavisca and the 6 mercenaries scaled the side of the ship, and entered the ship.  
  
*********   
Captain Taggart's Quarters   
Sweeper Ship, Atlantic Ocean   
1-27-00  
*********   
  
Aidan Hall awoke to a silent, dark room. Suddenly, a black hand covered his mouth. He looked to his extreme left, he caught a glimpse of a green dot in the air. "Listen, kid, and I'll make this as painless as possible."  
  
Aidan replied by simply elbowing the face that held the green eye. As Arnavisca cried out, Aidan wrested himself from his grasp and yelled at the top of his lungs, "DUO! HELP!"  
  
Before he could move another step, Arnavisca was up, submachine gun in hand and aimed at Aidan. "That's it!"  
  
Suddenly, the door opened, hitting Arnavisca in the back, slamming him against the wall. Dropping the gun, Arnavisca spun around-  
  
--to find the wooden butt of a rifle catch him in the nose! He was down in an instant.  
  
Aidan, relieved, look up to see...   
  
Not Duo, but Jen Hillard, bolt-action rifle in hand, her beautiful face smiling. "Need a hand, kid?"  
  
Aidan blurted in surprise, "Jen! But how did..."   
  
"Same way you did. Fish crate. Although I waited a little longer to get out than you did."  
  
She hefted her rifle. "C'mon, let's go before Mr. Nice Guy over there wakes up." Aidan snatched his bag and slung it over his shoulder, and followed Jen out of the room.  
  
Aidan and Jen ran down the corridors of the ship. The bloodied bodies of Sweepers were everywhere, and a great many things had caught on fire. Passing the dead body of Ellis, they rounded a corner to catch a few Sweepers in a fierce gunfight with a trio of the intruders along a corridor.  
  
Among the Sweepers was Duo Maxwell, pistol in hand, occasionally stepping out of a doorway in the hall for a moment to fire a few rounds at the mercs, then duck back in.  
  
Jen immediately joined the fight, blasting out a round, cocking the bolt, firing again, and repeating the process.  
  
Duo looked back at her. "Who the hell are you?"   
  
"Call me Jen. (cock BLAM!) Pleased to make your acquaintance."   
  
Duo finally saw that the last of his men were overcome by the deadly skill of the mercs, and began making his way toward Aidan and Jen. "Run! Run!" He yelled as he reached them. The trio sprinted along the corridors.  
  
They finally made it to the deck of the ship. Duo looked back to see the rest of the ship in flames. "Oh crap! My ship!"  
  
Aidan yelled, "Screw the ship, Duo! We gotta get out of here!"   
  
"Right, uh..." Duo said, scratching his head.   
  
Jen asked, "You do have lifeboats, right?"   
  
Duo smiled innocently.   
  
Jen raised her hands in despair. "Great! No lifeboat!"   
  
"Well, I'm sorry, lady, but I couldn't afford them."   
  
"Maybe if you--"   
  
As Jen and Duo argued, Aidan spun around, desperate for a way to escape. He looked over the side, seriously considering jumping, when he saw the black assault boat the mercs had left there.  
  
Aidan turned back to Jen and Duo, trying to get their attention, but to no avail. Frustrated, he shouted, "HEY GUYS!"  
  
That stopped them. Aidan pointed to the side. "I found a way to get off the boat."  
  
Duo said, "Jumping? You're crazy, kid! You have no life jacket! You'd drown 10 seconds after you reached the water-Oh," He said as he finally saw the assault boat.   
  
"C'mon, let's go!" Jen yelled, climbing over the edge and descending the ship wall with the grapple wire left there.  
  
Aidan and Duo exchanged nervous glances, but an explosion behind them convinced them fully. They scaled down two other tether ropes onto the assault boat.  
  
As they sped away, several bullets bounced against the bulletproof canopy of the boat. Aidan, Jen and Duo looked back to see the now-conscious Arnavisca and the remaining mercs firing on them.  
  
They continued watching as Arnavisca, desperate, jumped into the water as the mercs were engulfed in flame by an explosion. The boat slowly sank into the water.  
  
Arnavisca pulled a cord on his armor, and it inflated into a life jacket. He floated along the ocean surface, safe.  
  
Duo whispered to himself, "My ship, my crew...MY FISH!"   
  
Jen, tired of his whining, spat, "Oh shut up, you wuss."   
  
Aidan, ignoring Jen, said to Duo, "What do we do now?"   
  
Duo thought for a minute, then sighed and said, "I guess I drop you and the girl off at the nearest part and look for the other pilots."  
  
"No," Aidan replied. "I'm in this for the long haul. Jen can go, but I have to stay. I have to be in on this. For my mom and dad."  
  
"Fine. But Lara Croft here goes," Duo said, thrusting a thumb in Jen's direction.  
  
"Hey, no way. I want to know what I've gotten into. Plus, when that one soldier gets back to his boss, all three of us are gonna be in deep shit. So I suggest we all stay together and watch each other's asses."  
  
Aidan and Duo looked at each other, then shrugged.   
  
Duo broke the silence. "So, where does that magic laptop of yours tell us to go now?"  
  
Aidan pulled it out, opened the disk file, and pulled up the next pilot's location.  
  
After reading it, Aidan turned off the laptop and looked at Duo.   
  
"We're headed to France."   
  
TO BE CONTINUED...   
  
  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

TITLE  
Gundam Wing: Odyssey--Chapter 2: The Mission  
  
AUTHOR  
Asher Cross  
  
GENRE  
Action/Comedy  
  
RATING  
PG-13  
  
*********  
Assault Boat  
Atlantic Ocean  
1-28-196  
*********  
  
"We're headed to France."  
  
Duo just stared at Aidan for a minute. "Couldn't you specify WHERE?"  
  
Aidan gave him a look. "I was being general."  
  
"We don't have the time to be general!"  
  
"All right, calm down. We're headed for a town in France called Guizot. Apparently there's a circus there. That's where we'll find the next pilot."  
  
Duo thought for a minute. "Circus?"  
  
"I'm looking at it right now, Duo."  
  
"It's gotta be Trowa, then."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Trowa Barton. He was one of us."  
  
"Before we go, we'd better get some of the SCUBA gear from the storage compartment in the boat, and get your Gundam out from underwater."  
  
Duo looked at him questioningly. "What?"  
  
A pause. "Well, I assumed that you had your Gundam with you on the ship..."  
  
"Well, you know what they say--when you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME. No, I don't have my Gundam."  
  
"Then where is it?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Those words froze Aidan Hall instantly. He quietly said, "What?"  
  
Duo sighed, and said to him, "When the war ended, we agreed that we didn't need the Gundams anymore. We elected Heero to take them. We don't know where he put them."  
  
Aidan paused to let his frustration ebb, then he whispered, "You're trying to tell me that we're up against a powerful corporation hell-bent on keeping dangerous weapons on the Earth, and YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOUR GUNDAM IS?!" He sighed, then laid back on the side of the boat. "I can't believe this."  
  
Duo said to him, "Well, we can get them when we find Heero, right?"  
  
Aidan replied, "Yeah, but...what if Horizon finds us beforehand? We have nothing except maybe some spare guns from the boat and Jen's rifle."  
  
Duo looked around. "Speaking of Jen, where is she?"  
  
Aidan looked back at Duo, and his eyes widened. "She's not here."  
  
The two boys jumped when they saw Jen come up from behind them and slam some ration containers in front of them. "Dinnertime. Eat up."  
  
"I can't eat this." Aidan said.  
  
"Then you starve."  
  
"Nice. Let's just go to Guizot."  
  
Duo asked, "In this? It'd take us a week to get there in this."  
  
"Well, better than swimming."  
  
Duo sighed as Jen started up the engine, and they began their journey.  
  
*********  
Bloom Circus  
Guizot, France  
2-07-196  
*********  
  
One week afterwards, the trio made it to France. They had ditched the boat, and had now arrived at Guizot, France.  
  
Aidan Hall, Jen Hillard and Duo Maxwell walked toward the circus tent, tired and hopeful.  
  
Aidan opened the flap in the tent, and was delighted to see the elephants and circus monkeys. He let a smile shine through his face.  
  
Duo began looking around until he found a young, red-haired girl tending to a torn circus outfit. "Hello?"  
  
Catherine Bloom looked up from her torn outfit to look at the smiling face of Duo Maxwell. "Oh my God, Duo?"  
  
"Yep. It's me."  
  
She gave a yelp of delight and ran into his arms, giving him a friendly hug.  
  
"Whoa, I didn't know you were THAT excited to see me. But anyway, is Trowa around?"  
  
"Oh yeah, he's over--" She paused when she thought of the reasons why Duo could possibly be looking for Trowa. "Wait. What's happening? Is there another battle?"  
  
"I won't lie to you, that's against my motto. Yes, there's something major happening in a couple of weeks, and I need Trowa's help."  
  
"Well, tell me about it."  
  
"Not before I see Trowa."  
  
"C'mon, I'll take you to him."  
  
Catherine started walking through the big top, Duo following.   
  
Finally, they came to the animal room, where a familiar figure was kneeling down next to one of the lions.   
  
"Trowa!" Duo exclaimed.  
  
Trowa Barton looked up, and for the first time, a hint of a smile crossed his face. "Duo."  
  
Duo nodded to Catherine, who nodded back, and walked away.   
  
Duo turned back to Trowa. "Hey, could I talk to you for a second?"  
  
"How'd you find me?"  
  
"I'll tell you that in a second."  
  
*********  
  
Aidan looked away from the elephant to see one of the circus performers walk up to him and asked, "Hi. I'm Catherine. What's your name?"  
  
"Aidan Hall. This is Jen Hillard."  
  
Jen and Catherine shook hands.  
  
Catherine exhaled and said, "Well, I see you came in with my friend Duo."  
  
"Yeah, we just--You know Duo?"  
  
"Oh yeah. I know him all too well." Then her voice became forceful. "I want to know what you are doing here and why you want to take my Trowa away from me!"  
  
Aidan and Jen gave nervous glances at each other, then Aidan began to explain the situation.  
  
*********  
  
Trowa hesitated, then said to Duo, "So you need my help to save Relena's life?"  
  
"We need every pilot's help! You have to come with us and find Heero, Quatre, and Wufei."  
  
"I'm not sure about this Duo. I don't have Heavyarms with me, and I don't think Catherine wants to let me go again."  
  
"Oh come on! What are you, her slave? Where's that spirit of adventure I remember?"  
  
"I didn't have any spirit of adventure," Trowa said plainly.  
  
Duo stammered, "I know, but didn't that make you wanna come?"  
  
"No."  
  
Duo shook his head. It was gonna take a long time to get through to him...  
  
Suddenly, in the distance he heard an enraged Catherine scream "DUO!" and knew that the brown matter had really hit the fan (if it hadn't already).  
  
Catherine stormed up to Duo, who nervously smiled, as if he'd been caught doing something bad. She spoke quietly, trying to remain calm. "Duo Maxwell, you lied to me! Your friend just told me that you intend to send my dear, sweet brother on a suicide mission!"  
  
Duo asked, "Those exact words?"  
  
"No, but that's what it meant! I understand that you need all the help you can get, but my Trowa is out of it. He's finished being a Gundam pilot."  
  
Duo sighed. How was he going to do this? "Just sleep on it, okay? This is important. Millions of lives are at stake. And think about it, this is a weekend chore compared to Operation Meteor. It might have the same consequences, but still..."  
  
Catherine interrupted, "I'll think about it. You and your friends can sleep here if you want. Then you can leave and find someone else."  
  
*********  
Horizon Headquarters  
New York City  
2-07-196  
*********  
  
CEO Joseph Dravin was sitting at his office chair when a battered Santiago Arnavisca walked in.  
  
"Well?"  
  
Arnavisca sighed, then answered, "The boy...is still alive."  
  
Dravin stood, furious. "How could you possibly miss an 11-year-old child?"  
  
"I'm sorry, sir. He had help. We tracked him down to a Sweeper ship. We were able to eliminate the crew, but the boy escaped, with the help of the ship's captain, and a woman...in our boat."  
  
Dravin shouted, "Do you know how ridiculous this makes us look? You had a special team of trained soldiers and unlimited resources, and you are beaten by a child? And they took your boat and got away! How stupid does this make you look?"  
  
Dravin was rubbing it in a bit too much, and Arnavisca was getting tired of it. However, he looked to the ground and timidly replied, "Very, sir. But our boat was equipped with a tracking device. We'll be able to track them."  
  
"You had better. Take another team, and track him down!"  
  
"We can't, sir. I've already locked them down. They're in France. They'll have moved far away by the time we got there."  
  
"Wait, we have a division in France. Call them up and have their security force kill him. But still, if they fail, take the team and go to France anyway. Keep track of them as best you can."  
  
Arnavisca nodded, and left.  
  
*********  
Bloom Circus  
Guizot, France  
2-08-196  
*********  
  
Under the tent where Aidan, Jen, Duo, Trowa, and Catherine slept, Duo woke up with a snort. Aidan's head rested on his duffel bag full o'wonders. Duo groggily looked around, but stopped at the sound of a bullet crashing through the air.  
  
Through the flap of a tent, he saw a man in a brown uniform run past, with a machine gun in hand. Naturally, this worried Duo, who then shook Trowa awake.  
  
Trowa, still half-asleep, murmured, "Please, just one more time, Anna," and giddily smiled.  
  
Duo shook away the disgusting thought of Trowa in bed, then gave up on him and shook Jen awake.  
  
She sat up with a start. She looked disappointed, then pushed him away. "Wha'd you do that for? I hadn't finished with the guy yet!"  
  
Duo said, "What is it with you people and dreams of sex? Horizon's here. They found us. We gotta go."  
  
Jen reached for her rifle, and helped Duo wake Aidan and Catherine. With some effort, they got Trowa out of his fantasy with the unknown "Anna", and poked their heads out of the tent. There they saw carnage.  
  
The other tents were in flames (as well as some people) and several Horizon soldiers ran around with machine guns in hand. In the vicinity was an Aries Mobile Suit, patrolling the area. Aidan snatched his duffel bag and followed the others out of the tent.  
  
One Horizon merc spotted them and called out to the others, but was silence by the CRACK of Jen's rifle. As he slumped to the ground, the five ran to him, Trowa seizing the man's automatic. Catherine took another look at the chaos surrounding her, then her eyes widened at the sight of a tall figure lying down in the distance. "Manager!"  
  
Catherine began running towards the body of the dead ringmaster, leaving Aidan, Trowa, Duo, and Jen behind.  
  
Trowa looked up to see Catherine running into the line of fire. He called her name...  
  
...but it was too late, as a soldier opened fire, gunning the woman down.  
  
Trowa, in an unexpected fit of rage, raised the gun and unleashed several hot, golden messengers of death at the now-late soldier.  
  
Aidan ran to the downed Catherine, whose red blood was pooling near her legs and ankles. "Are you all right, Catherine?"  
  
Trowa soon joined him, and Duo and Jen followed. They dragged her back to the tent where they started.   
  
The still-alive Catherine stammered out, "I-I'm sorry, Trowa."  
  
"Don't be, sis," Trowa replied, and pulled back a lock of hair with his thumb.  
  
"Wait." Aidan said, and reached inside his duffel bag. Miraculously, there was a medical scanner. He raised it and said, "My parents planned for everything." He ran the scanner over Catherine's wounds.   
  
He stopped, shut off the scanner and sighed. "Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, it says here that the injuries are not fatal. If we get her out of here, she'll live."  
  
Trowa gave a sigh of relief, and smiled, a very un-Trowa-like action.   
  
Aidan continued with a gloomy tone. "But the bad news is, the bullets busted most of the nerves in her legs. She'll never walk again."  
  
Trowa's smile faded, and he looked fearfully at his now-crippled sister.  
  
Catherine smiled reassuredly. She croaked out, "Hey, I can throw knives with no legs. But Trowa, I changed my mind. Go with them. They obviously need you."  
  
Duo piped in. "Uh, I'm not sure how to take that." Aidan and Jen both gave him 'the death-glare', which silenced him.  
  
After a brief silence, Jen spoke up. "Well, we'd better get ourselves out of here and throw Horizon off our scent. Come on."  
  
Trowa said to Catherine, "Listen, We're gonna keep you here until we get back. If anyone stops by, play dead."  
  
Catherine threw Trowa a reassuring smile as Trowa rejoined his friends.  
  
Aidan, Jen, Duo, and Trowa ran out and began charging the Horizon soldiers taking them one by one, until all the soldiers were dead.  
  
All four with Horizon submachine guns (but Jen with her rifle as well), they looked around to find everyone dead, and all the Horizon soldiers killed...  
  
...But the Aries was still a danger.  
  
It stood, and pointed its gun at the awe-struck quartet. They gave brief looks at each other, then began to run...  
  
...towards the Aries.   
  
The machine gun boomed, rounds the size of basketballs raining on the desperate group as they ran between the legs of the Aries.  
  
Surprisingly, all four made it safely in between the Aries' legs.  
  
The Aries began frantically weaving back and forth, trying to get them out into his sights, but the group moved with him.  
  
With daredevil precision (and incredible luck) Aidan snatched a handhold from the Aries' ankle and urged the others to follow.  
  
Duo came first, running toward the ankle, jumping, and catching a foothold from below the small boy.   
  
Aidan yelled, "Come on!" to Jen and Trowa, then began climbing up, Duo following.  
  
Trowa began a gravity-defying leap, but the Aries did something to their immense displeasure--  
  
--it took off, leaving the bewildered Aidan and Duo hanging on the Aries' leg. As it transformed into Flight Mode, the legs retracted, and the particular section where Aidan and Duo were began lifting into a compartment inside the Aries.  
  
Aidan and Duo blinked in disbelief, they couldn't see each other doing that, however, because there was no light in the compartment.  
  
A brief moment later, Duo timidly asked to the air, "You alive, kid?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure," came a tiny voice from in front of him.  
  
They both stood and shuffled, arms outstretched, around the room, until finally bumping into each other. Both screamed in surprise, then clamed when they realized who they were. Aidan shuffled around in his duffel bag for awhile, then a white, hot beam of light, shone directly into Duo's eyes. He waved his hand in front of his face, shouting, "Turn it away, Aidan! Lower!" Aidan lowered the flashlight beam, then raised it to his chin, where he made a spooky face. "Do you want to hear a scaaaary story?" He then waved the beam around the room. To one wall, there was a series of small rungs protruding from the wall, forming a ladder.  
  
Aidan and Duo nodded, and began climbing up the ladder.  
  
They eventually came to a small duct, which was terribly small, so Duo could not squeeze through, Aidan silently pointed to himself, and Duo reluctantly nodded. Aidan shuffled on his stomach, pulling out the pistol from the duffel bag, through the duct.  
  
When the duct came to an end, he became alarmed and lightly tapped on each side of the end. He tapped on the bottom panel...  
  
...Which popped out, falling into the Aries cockpit, and hitting the pilot in the head, knocking him out cold!  
  
Aidan winced, then muttered, "Sorry." Then he looked out the main viewport, and gasped.  
  
The unconscious pilot has slumped down onto one of the flightsticks and the Aries was plummeting down to Earth! Aidan scrambled out of the duct, falling on the pilot.   
  
Frantically, he tried to unfasten the safety straps on the unconscious (yet uncooperative) pilot. He finally succeeded, and Aidan shoved the pilot out of the seat and planted him against the side of the cockpit.  
  
Hopeless, he stared at the hundreds of levers, buttons, and switches. "I don't even know how to drive!"  
  
That was when he saw the flightstick, and he took a chance and pulled it up.   
  
The Aries swung up in the nick of time (over a terrified Trowa and Jen) and screamed toward the sky.  
  
Aidan slumped back and sighed. He put his experience at computer games into action and used the flightstick to bring the Aries into a jolting belly-landing. He found the switch that opened the cockpit panel, and he stepped out to find a relieved Jen and Trowa.  
  
Suddenly, Aidan remembered Duo, and ran back in, discovered the button to transform the Aries into Suit Mode, and soon a yelping Duo fell out of the Aries. He immediately stood up and yelled, "What are you DOING? I should've been the one to go in there!"  
  
"But you couldn't fit, Duo," Aidan replied, matter-of-factly.  
  
Duo shrugged it off. Trowa ran away for a minute, and produced the limp Catherine in his arms from the tent. "We should get her to a hospital."  
  
Jen said, "C'mon. I saw a truck out back. We can use it."  
  
Trowa continued, "And after that, I'm going with you."  
  
"Trowa..." Duo said, in complete and utter shock.  
  
"I didn't want to go because of the circus. But there is no circus anymore."  
  
"But you have to take care of Catherine, now more than ever."  
  
"Hey, you need my help, and I'm going with you. Besides, she's strong, She'll manage a few weeks without me."  
  
Jen added, "A few weeks is all we have left until the conference. We'd better hurry and find the other pilots...and the Gundams."  
  
Aidan's eyes sparkled with an idea. He slowly turned back to the Aries, and said to the others, "I checked the laptop last night. We're supposed to head for a desert town in Arabia. Some kind of mansion there where the next Gundam pilot is. And I think I just stole us the means to get us there."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
  
  



End file.
